There has been a lighthouse at Loop Head since 1670, originally a signal fire on the roof of a single-storey cottage (which can still be seen on the grounds), where the lightkeeper lived. The present tower, which stands 23 metres high, was built in 1854. The range of the light is 23 nautical miles and its ‘character’ is a white light flashing four times in 20 seconds. The operation was converted to electricity in 1871, and automated in 1991. Loop Head (Irish: Ceann Léime, meaning "leap head") is a headland on the north side of the mouth of the River Shannon, in County Clare in the west of Ireland. Loop Head is marked by a prominent lighthouse. The opposite headland on the south side of the Shannon is Kerry Head. The Shannon Foynes Port Company controls navigation in the Shannon estuary and river. Loop Head peninsula, has the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Shannon Estuary on the other, with barely a mile of land saving it from island status.

The Second World War is a dark page in the history books. It was a devastation of human lives and nature unlike anything the world had ever seen before. There are a lot of debates about the date it started on, but most historians consider the beginning of WWII as the day Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Although most of the war activities happened on European soil, there were fights in the Pacific Ocean as well as the northern parts of the African continent. The Second World War affected almost all of the countries in the world despite the fact that not all of them participated, because the usual trade routes were closed and it was the downfall to many economies. Contrary to these, some economies thrived because of the great demand for military supplies, but they eventually crashed after the end of it. Although the death toll is unknown, it is estimated to be around 60 million people, 20 of them being military and 40 million of them being civilians. The Second World War is notorious for the atrocious crimes committed against humanity. It proved that when it comes to war, all bets are off. Millions of people were killed because of their religious beliefs, ethnicity, the color of their skin or just out of spite. The atomic bomb was used and it became the symbol of utter destruction. People were herded in concentration camps like livestock and starved to death. In some places of the world, brothers were fighting brothers, children were holding weapons and parents were burying their offspring. All in all, this gruesome period in human history serves as a reminder that human life is frail and we should protect it and cherish it forever. During World War II, a number of coastal lookout points were built around Ireland to monitor shipping and air traffic. Ireland had declared itself neutral. In total, 84 of these lookout points were constructed. They consisted of what can best be described as a little concrete bunker. About 50 of those structures have left footprints or are still standing. They are built of concrete, and most of them are in a state of disrepair. There was a tiny fireplace in it, otherwise it was pretty much open to the elements. Volunteers were assigned to each of the look out posts on eight hour shifts. If there is one thing Ireland is known for, then it must be its breathtaking scenery. The lush greenery and coastal landscape is what has captivated people throughout history. The old castle ruins overgrown with moss are especially appreciated by filmmakers who chose Ireland as a filming destination for many of their films. The green island has been in the background of many movies and series such as Game of Thrones, Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan, Vikings, The Tudors and many others. What dо you think about this video? Make sure you tell us more in the comments down below. If you like what you see, don’t forget to share it with others who might like it as well. It just might be the highlight of their day! Enjoy!

Kylemore Castle was built as a private home for the family of Mitchell Henry, a wealthy doctor from London whose family was involved in textile manufacturing in Manchester, England. He moved to Ireland when he and his wife Margaret purchased the land around the Abbey. He became a politician, becoming an MP for County Galway from 1871 to 1885. The castle was designed by James Franklin Fuller, aided by Ussher Roberts. The construction of the castle began in 1867, and took the total of one hundred men and four years to complete. The castle covered approximately 40,000 square feet (3,700 m2) and had over seventy rooms with a principal wall that was two to three feet thick. The facade measures 142 feet (43 m) in width and is made of granite brought from Dalkey by sea to Letterfrack and from limestone brought from Ballinasloe. There were 33 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 sitting rooms, a ballroom, billiard room, library, study, school room, smoking room, gun room and various offices and domestic staff residences for the butler, cook, housekeeper and other servants. Other buildings include a Gothic cathedral and family mausoleum containing the bodies of Margaret Henry, Mitchell Henry and a great grand-nephew. The Abbey remained in Henry's estate after he returned to England. The castle was sold to the Duke and Duchess of Manchester in 1909, who resided there for several years before being forced to sell the house and grounds because of gambling debts. In 1920, the Irish Benedictine Nuns purchased the Abbey castle and lands after they were forced to flee Ypres, Belgium during World War I. The nuns, who had been based in Ypres for several hundred years, had been bombed out of their Abbey during World War I. The nuns continued to offer education to Catholic girls, opening an international boarding school and establishing a day school for girls from the locality. The school acted as the main educator for most girls from Renvyle, Letterfrack and further afield for almost a century but it was forced to close in June 2010.[1] Walled Victorian Gardens, Kylemore Abbey The Estate includes large walled Victorian Gardens. Since the 1970s these have been open for public tours and 'nature' walks. The Benedictine community has restored the Abbey's gardens and Cathedral with donations and local artisans in order to be a self-sustaining estate.

Close by Dugort, at the base of Slievemore mountain (671 metres) in the Republic of Ireland, lies the Deserted Village. The village is divided into three areas called Tuar, Tuar Riabach and Faiche. There are approximately 100 houses in the village, aligned north-south and parallel to each other. The atmosphere of the Deserted Village is unique; it's remoteness; a feeling of almost intruding on those who lived there. The houses were built of un-mortared stone, which means that no cement or mortar was used to hold the stones together. Each house consisted of just one room and this room was used as kitchen, living room, bedroom and even stable. The doorways were east-facing, while one small window was built in the north-east wall. While one or two houses may have had a small stable built on to the end of the house, most families had to share their house with cows and other livestock, who would be brought into the house at night and tied at southern end. The tethering rings can still be seen in the walls. The most of the houses had opposing doorways to facilitate families on their daily task of milking cows. The cow was taken in one door, milked, and then taken out through the opposing door. Inside many houses, a shallow channel or drain in the floor led into a manure pit outside the building. This feature along with the opposing doorways suggests an earlier building phase. According to archaeologists the field systems and the lazy beds found in this area indicate several occupation phases. Also some remains suggest there was a settlement here during the Anglo-Norman period. The village was gradually abandoned because of the many evictions for non-payment of rent during Sr Richard O’Donnell’s tenure, the 1845-49 famines and the emigration throughout the successive years. Until 1940s the village was used as a booley in summertime.

Kilmacduagh Round Tower. Dating back to the 7th century this is one of Ireland’s oldest monastic sites. The Round Tower has a clear lean and whilst many surrounding buildings are ruins, Dimensions: There is an offset discernible on the west side of the tower, as the ground level slopes a bit on that side. Above this offset, the circumference is 17.86 meters, giving it an external diameter of 5.68 meters. The overall height of the tower is just about 34 meters, making it the tallest round tower in existence. The doorway, facing ENE is also extraordinary in that it is over 7 meters above ground level. This extreme height of the doorway causes some controversy in the usual assumption that an entry ladder would simply be pulled through the doorway into the tower in times of distress, as no rigid ladder of such length would fit through the tower doorway, nor would a rigid ladder fit inside the tower if it could be pulled inside. Kilmacduagh has the greatest number of windows of any existing round tower: 11. All are angle headed. The five windows in the drum in ascending order face N, SSE, W, E and WSW. When the building was repaired in 1878-79, three windows were restored to the original three. These six windows face NE ENE, ESE, SW, WSW, and WNW. Features: The extreme height of the doorway, the number of bell-storey windows, and the significant lean to the SW all make this a quite unique tower. The cap on the drum is unusual in that it sits not atop a cornice, but overhangs the drum. Comments: The walls are over six feet thick at the base, underneath which lie some skeletons, confirming that the tower had been built in an existing cemetery. The tower once had a bell which was said to have been thrown into a nearby lake. Tradition has it that backache can be cured by laying on St. Colman's grave (it lies behind the cathedral). Key's to the Grebe House and other locks can be obtained at the Tower View B & B (across the street) with a deposit of 5 Euro. History:The 7th century saint, Saint Colman, son of Duagh, established a monastery on land given him by his cousin King Guaire. According to legend, Saint Colman MacDuagh was walking through the woods of the Burren when his girdle fell to the ground. Taking this as a sign, he built his monastery on this spot. The girdle was said to be studded with gems and was held by the O'Shaughnessys centuries later, along with St. Colman's crozier, or staff. The girdle was later lost, but the crozier came to be held by the O'Heynes and may now be seen in the National Museum of Ireland. The Catholic encyclopedia says of St. Colman: "Bishop and patron of Kilmacduagh, born at Kiltartan c. 560; died 29 October, 632. He lived for many years as a hermit in Arranmore, where he built two churches, both forming the present group of ruins at Kilmurvy. Thence he sought greater seclusion in the woods of Burren, in 592, and at length, in 610, founded a monastery, which became the centre of the tribal Diocese of Aidhne." Other Items of Interest: This site was of such importance that it became the center of a new diocese in the 12th century. It is now merged with the Diocese of Galway. The monastery was plundered several times in the 13th century. The interesting carved stone features scattered throughout the small churches are worth searching for. These are mostly inserts from the late 11th to the 15th centuries.

Throughout the west of Ireland, the landscape is scarred by strange criss-crossing roads that climb up into the hills then simply stop, incomplete, leading nowhere. These roads were the result of the forced labor of the Irish peasantry, who, under the strictures of the Poor Law and the reigning laissez-faire economic theory of the day, were made to work in exchange for food during the Great Famine. These roads remain, 150 years later, as visible marks in the Irish countryside, which in this as in so many things still bears the scars of history. Mumford & Sons Inspired by Hyde - Free Instrumentals https://soundcloud.com/davidhydemusic Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b ... Music provided by Music for Creators https://youtu.be/5shSBRjyeiI

Music Credit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQKGLOK2FqmVgVwYferltKQ Compared to most other Irish big houses, the history of Moore Hall in County Mayo is exceptional. Moore Hall was built by George Moore (1727-1799) between 1792 and 1796. George Moore- The Builder Of Moore Hall George Moore (1727-1799) was a wine merchant who owned a fleet of ships and had made a vast fortune in Spain. He came from a Protestant family but George himself was Catholic. Originally from County Mayo and having gone into exile to Spain because of the restrictive Irish Penal Laws, George wanted to retire in Ireland. He sold up in Spain and managed to purchase lands around Lough Carra, benefitting from a relaxing in the Penal Laws at this time. He took an oath of allegiance to the English crown so that he would be able to have tenants on his land to generate some income. The house, Moore Hall itself, was a status symbol for a man of his means as well as a fulfillment of a longstanding dream. The Design Of The House Moore Hall was of architectural significance having been designed by the architect John Roberts who also designed Waterford Cathedral and Tyrone House in Galway. It was decorated with beautiful Italian plasterwork, traces of which can still be seen in the ruin of the house today if you look carefully.

Michael bought this mansion some years ago and has spent most his life working on it himself. The aim of the proprietor, Mr Michael Keaney, is to maintain the house as close as possible to the way it was at the end of the 19th century. Michael bought Castle Ellen in 1974, when it was in an advanced state of disrepair. He has since made super-human efforts to restore it to some of its former glory, and under his auspices the house has been home to many artists, sculptors, and poets, and provides an oasis of calm and reflection in the busy modern world.

At the far western edge of Ireland can be found the serene and tranquil Renvyle Peninsula. Far from the pressure of city life, it is a place in which to relax and enjoy the fresh sea air, the peace, tranquility and closeness of nature. The peninsula, one of Europe's most westerly was best described by Augustus John - "the most beautiful landscape in the world". It was the inspiration for renowned works of art by Yeats, Gogarty and Oscar Wilde and remains unchanged today. The scenic Renvyle Peninsula has something to offer people of all ages and interests. Long stretches of clean sandy beaches - swimming, scuba diving, shore angling, lake and river fishing, pony trekking, hill climbing, sea angling - boat hire adventure centre, aquarium, maritime museum and sea side park, scenic and wildlife coastal cruises. Renvyle Peninsula has been called "the loveliest landscape on Earth". It is a landscape shaped by time, nature and the people who call Renvyle home.

Ashleigh Falls, Co. Mayo. Location used in Feature Film The Field. Located 1 km north of the Galway/Mayo border, this location provides views over Aasleagh Falls, a picturesque waterfall located on the River Erriff just before the river meets Killary Harbour.

Castle Ellen is situated on 33 acres of land, 13.5 miles from Galway City and 2.5 miles from Athenry in Ireland.The house is located in a beautiful woodland setting. It is a haven of tranquility, where you can enjoy a sense of timelessness and connection to nature.

Tucked away in the back of many fields and in out of the way places in Ireland are small overgrown huts that look like miniature tombs. They are constructed of stone with small entrances and covered with sods, they are, in fact, sweat houses. It may come as a surprise to many that Ireland has its own tradition of the ‘sweat lodge', mostly we associate this with the Native American culture and, for some time, American style sweat lodges have been conducted here also. These are mostly based on the Inipi ceremony of the North American Plains Indians and a sweat is undertaken usually for initiation, purification or in preparation for the vision quest. Were our own sweat houses used for similar purposes? Firstly, it must be stated that little information has survived to tell us what exactly they were used for. Although sweat houses seem to have been constructed up to the end of the nineteenth century(1) the knowledge of their use has been forgotten through lack of interest, embarrassment or as a result of the destruction and mass emigration of the famine. It has been pointed out that, in post-famine Ireland, there seems to have been a kind of aversion to old ways and natural things that has resulted in the outwardly respectable and ultra-conservative attitude that can be found in many parts of the country today. An example of this was the idea of "famine food", which was the eating of any kind of wild food, i.e. blackberries, implying that one had to be hard up to eat it. As for the sweat houses many nineteenth century antiquarians variously reported that it was used as a ‘sweating cure' for many different ailments - and this seems to be true up to a point. However, as in many societies when faced with foreign anthropologists, the temptation to lead them up the garden path is enormous. It has also been pointed out that the investment in turf required to heat one of the sweat houses would have been in the order of two and a half donkey loads. This would have been an extravagant expense simply to get rid of the few aches and pains that most of the population suffered from anyway. In order to be more worthwhile, the use of these structures must have been important indeed. The sweat houses are distributed over a number of counties, primarily Leitrim, Louth, Cavan, Fermanagh and parts of Sligo. These were all poor counties so it is doubly interesting given the economic investment in the use of the sweat house. Sweat houses are also sited away from dwellings and are often close to streams. They can be quite hard to find as I can attest to having looked for examples on the Cooley Peninsula. The houses are usually about 1.75m high and 2m in diameter with a small entrance and often a small smoke hole which could be covered with a flat slab. The method of heating was described as building a fire in the house and allowing it to completely burn out, the ashes were then raked out and rushes or other plants strewn on the floor. A stone was placed over the smoke hole and the patient entered naked. The door was blocked and the patient sweated profusely, the plants on the floor giving off moisture to give an effect similar to a sauna. Soot has been found inside the sweat houses showing that a fire was built in them, however, John Matthews assures me that he has come across references to the use of hot rocks heated outside the sweat house and then placed inside - much the Native American methods. After the sweat, the patient would emerge and go for a swim in the river as in modern Scandinavian saunas. If old or infirm they would go to bed for a few hours(2). It has also been recorded that mixed groups of men and women used sweat houses,

The Irish tradition of keening over the body during the funeral procession and at the burial site is distinct from the wake — the practice of watching over the corpse – which takes place the night before the burial, and may last for more than one night. The "keen" itself is thought to have been constituted of stock poetic elements (the listing of the genealogy of the deceased, praise for the deceased, emphasis on the woeful condition of those left behind etc.) set to vocal lament. While generally carried out by one or several women, a chorus may have been intoned by all present. Physical movements involving rocking, kneeling or clapping accompanied the keening woman (bean chaointe) who was often paid for her services.